p1972a20 - Beaumaris Conservation Society

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BEAUMARIS CONSERVATION SOCIETY
PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO THE 20TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD AT THE BEAUMARIS COMMUNITY CENTRE ON MONDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER 1972
The twelve months just ended has seen a net increase in the number of our members, but naturally this has not kept pace with the number of projects or actions in which we have involved ourselves let alone the number in which we should have involved ourselves. I list the main activities of the year as follows firstly within Beaumaris and secondly in the wider community: WITHIN BEAUMARIS 1. Heathland Sanctuary: Working bees have successfully removed the effects of recent digging by small children; repaired the damaged fence, where they entered, in a temporary manner; eliminated pampas lily in the reserve; continued the removal of encroaching tea tree and coastal wattle and removed rubbish thrown in. We successfully requested Sandringham Council to paint the wooden sign at each end of the reserve. We continue to pay 10 dollars a year rent. 2. Banksias near Yacht Club: A working bee planted about 12 Banksia integrifolia in and near the car park after receiving Council permission. All were dead within a month; most of them apparently broken by the Council mower. Recently several large old Banksias here were blown over in a storm. 3. Dalgetty Road Re-widening: The Committee prepared a list of the types and positions of each tree on the east side which was to be widened with replanting of similar species in their earlier positions having been agreed to by Council. The widening scheme is at present under review.l 4. Pines at Banksia Reserve: The Committee wrote to Sandringham Council offering to provide and plant indigenous natives either instead of or in among the Pinus radiata planted recently between Griffiths Street and the football oval pointing out the unsuitability of exotic plants particularly non-flowering ones. Our offer was not accepted. 5. Keefer’s Boatshed: A sub-committee has been closely watching recent alterations including the construction of and extended concrete-pile jetty. It interviewed one of the joint owners and obtained the exact conditions of the construction permit from the Port Phillip Authoriity. It appears that the work is not exceeding that permitted although the sub-committee is continuing its work. 6. Newsletter Publicity: Mrs (Sue) Macdougall has provided articles, wildflower sketches and reports of current flowering of native plants in a number of recent issues of the ‘Beaumaris Newsletter’. 7. Balcombe Park: A letter from the Beaumaris R.S.L. requested Sandringham Council to permit them to build a bowling green on Balcombe Park. It appears that they consider that the ‘scrubby areas’ would be suitable. The matter was deferred recently until October. 8. Foreshore Tennis Court opposite Burgess Street: Following a letter from the Committee, the Minister for Lands had the Port Phillip Authority examine our request for Council to be stopped from restoring the tennis court so that it could be removed and replanted as bush. He found that he had insufficient power to change Council’s decision. 9. Squash Court at Bodley Street and Extensions to Bowling Club there: The Committee wrote to Council objecting to the intrusion of a squash court on the remaining open space. The Council decided to allow the Bowling Club to extend by removing part of a bitumen car park at the west end rather than remove trees and lawn at the east end. 10. Port Phillip Authority Questionnaire: The Committee replied in full to a P.P.A. letter seeking information on the ecology etc. of our area of coastline. 11. Notification of M.M.B.W. Foreshore Works: Following the unexpected major foreshore soil and boulder depositions at the end of Hayden’s Road, the Committee wrote to the M.M.B.W. requesting notification of future major works. Sandringham Council did likewise and was recently informed that there were none proposed for Beaumaris in the next 12 months. OUTSIDE BEAUMARIS
1.	The Committee made a small donation to the Hampton Conservation and Planning Association to assist with their efforts to retain the Linacre Road trees.
2.	The Committee wrote to the Prime Minister protesting about the flooding of Lake Pedder in Tasmania. His reply was considered unsatisfactory. A Lake Pedder film night attracted 35 people. A surplus of 2 dollars should be paid to the Lake Pedder Action Committee.
3.	The B.C.S. conducted, largely with the help of Mrs Johnstone, the Photoflora 1972 Slide Night at the Black Rock Civic Hall. The Hall was filled and a pleasing surplus accrued to our funds.
BODIES OF WHICH WE ARE AFFILIATES
1.	Port Phillip Conservation Council. This body receives support from us on all its important and wide-ranging bayside issues. Members helped to organize and were in prominent attendance at several rallies opposing the Esso Bay Pipeline.
2.	Conservation Council of Victoria. I acted as delegate to the C.C.V. this year. The C.C.V. contributed significantly to the M.M.B.W. conservation survey and the Western Port conservation survey. They recently opposed the flooding of Lake Pedder and are involved in a State-wide range of major issues.
ISSUES OF THE NEAR FUTURE
1.	Keating Street. The Committee considers that this should not be made but instead closed to vehicular traffic.
2.	Log Barrier at Ricketts Point. This was rejected at last year’s Council estimates but it is hoped that it may be adopted this year.
3.	B.M.Y.S. Expansion. The recent annual report refers to development of a marina at the B.M.Y.S. site. This will have to be nipped in the bud very definitely.
4.	Sea Scout Buildings. The best compromise between their obvious needs and coastal conservation should be defined.
	Geoffrey Goode President